| Topic Name: |
Undergraduate in Need of Advice |
| Message Name: |
Some advice |
| Date Posted: |
03/02/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
I have some very specific concerns regarding my career goals:
First, I've majored in Cultural Anthropology, and haven't undertaken any business-related coursework. It's too late for me to add business courses into my schedule; I graduate in May (I am, however, currently completing an internship at an investment services firm). Will this lack of business coursework completely shut down my goal of securing a position as a junior analyst/researcher at a Top 5 consulting firm?
Second, is my GPA (3.54 overall, 3.65 within major) considered sufficient for these firms?
Third, I haven't been involved in extra-curricular activities (except for the odd part-time job here and there). I used my time as an undergraduate to devote time to raising my four year old son. I recently saw a quote from a recruiter online that said, "A college student with a 4.0 GPA and no extra-curricular activities would inspire little interest." Is this true? How can I be sure that I don't leave recruiters with the false impression that I was your "typical college student with no responsibilities"? These firms seem to emphasize work/life balance(on their websites at least); I'm hoping they will understand my special situation as a student. Is this too much to expect?
Fourth, I attend a State University of New York school- far from Ivy League. Is this acceptable to the Top 5?
Fifth, I intend to emphasize to potential employers the following personal characteristics: creative intelligence, analytical thinking, proactiveness, and a strong desire for moving into the field of strategic consulting/knowledge management. I'm also confident that I can present myself as a smart, capable, professional candidate in person. What can I do to get increase my chances not only of getting hired, but especially of nabbing an interview?
I really look forward to your advice- any and all of it will be immensely appreciated and utilized.
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| Message: |
First of all, I'm not a consultant, but a student also. Junior, 3.6, ivy-league, rowing team (first varsity boat), IT-consulting job, Econ & Management major, math minor...
I wanted to be a strategy consultant. Like yourself, I am smart and very hungry.
Everybody I talked to (professors, ex-consultants etc) said I'd be great and I should have no problem getting in.
My friend is an associate at McKinsey, and my cousin is a consultant at BCG. I worked the contacts, and also on-campus recruiting.
However, I got dinged (or they cancelled the program) everywhere but Bain. At Bain I got dinged on the first round.
Basically, the economy sucks.
Luckily I forced my resume upon any recruiter with a heartbeat and ended up up with an M&A offer from a bb firm and 2 derivatives trading from other bbs.
But, the moral of the story is that on paper, I looked pretty good-- and they didn't even give me a chance to impress them in person.
I'm not going to discourage you from trying, but make sure you have a solid contingency plan.
Also-- you must, must take into account travel. Some consultants I know travel only a few days a month, others are routinely out at the client site from Monday to Thursday. My friend once got posted in DC for 3 weeks. Often, you will not be sure when or where they are going to send you very far in advance, especially at the lower level analyst. I am not sure whether you want to be away from your child over night that much. It is true that there are some firms that don't travel as much, but they all do to some extent and you cannot afford to be picky. The firm will expect you to pick up and go wherever/whenever they want.
It makes a bit of difference what SUNY you go to-- a top one like Bing, or a lesser one? If you go to a 'good' one (i'm not sure which ones are good, specifically) you can use some alumni.
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